Chapter 39
—Kasey—
Our legs hung off the end of the jetty, gently swinging back and forth as Reed filled me in on more of our memories. He’d just finished telling me that this was the jetty Simone and I jumped off naked, then I changed subjects back to the topic that got under my skin.
“Did I pay the fine?”
He chuckled and swallowed his mouthful of soda. “The speeding ticket I issued?”
“Yeah.”
Although I couldn’t see his eyes from behind the dark aviators, a wry smile tipped his mouth.
He chuckled. “You never fucking did. I ended up paying for it because I knew you wouldn’t pay it out of pure bullheadedness. Even if it landed your ass in court, you’d refuse.”
I crowed a laugh, swinging my legs harder with the joy the entire story brought me. “If it’s any consolation, current me would also refuse to pay it.”
“None whatsoever,” he drawled.
Looking out over the lake and squinting against the spring sun reflecting off the water crests, I snickered to myself. A new thought struck me.
“So, what happened after that? I mean, did I stay angry at you?”
My sideways glance was met with another sexy smirk. “Let’s just say, no, you didn’t.”
Sensing an untold story, I twisted and angled toward him. “Elaborate.”
“You don’t want that, Kase.”
“You can’t look at me like that and not tell me. C’mon. I’ll hound you until you spill the tea.”
“And I don’t doubt that for a second.”
I shoved his thigh. “Come on. It can’t be that bad.”
Reed failed to hide another chuckle behind the neck of his Dr. Pepper bottle. “Trust me, it wasn’t bad at all.”
The snicker that escaped around his sip only made me more determined to get the details.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll… I’lllll…” I glanced around, trying to come up with a suitable blackmail. “I’ll tell all the people you work with what happened.”
Loud laughter burst from Reed’s chest. “Babe, they already know—more or less.”
I studied his profile through narrowed eyes for a second. He’d run his fingers through his hair a few times since we’d sat down, giving volume to the longer section on top. He’d shaved this weekend, and while the bags under his eyes spoke silent volumes of his exhaustion, he looked a whole lot less disheveled than last time I saw him at the hospital. Those were dark days for us all.
He ran his tongue back and forth over his lower lip while he stared at the lake, then my heart tripped when he turned his full attention to me.
“You went to Banks and Simone’s place while I finished my shift that afternoon. That night, you came to my house.” He paused to take another sip of soda, pushing me one step further to an impatient outburst.
“And?”
I held my breath as he leaned in and dropped his voice. “I met you at the door, cuffed you in the entrance way, then fucked you—willingly—into my mattress.”
The moisture evaporated from my mouth and got rerouted to between my legs. “Did I like it?” I whispered breathlessly.
Reed erased the inches between us, and his lips brushed the shell of my ear. “Loved it,” came his hoarse whisper.
As if my pulse wasn’t already running wild enough, it jumped as he skimmed his fingertips along my jaw. The soft, fleeting movement left me yearning for more while desperately trying to keep my walls high.
I didn’t want to give Reed false hope; he had everything to lose, whereas I… I had no idea. Call it naivet, call it denial, either way, I squeezed my eyes closed and willed myself to resist temptation.
Reed’s lips ghosted across my cheek like a wistful promise. Of protection. Of love. Of loyalty.
“And then we played Crash Bandicoot and ate ice cream from the tub,” he whispered.
I smiled at that, then giggled when he added, “Not to mention that I kicked your ass.”
The loss of his nearness was immediate when he pulled away. I sat reeling and pulling the scattered pieces of myself together while he casually lifted the Dr. Pepper bottle to his mouth and took a long, leisurely sip.
“It was one of my favorite times you visited, babe. It was also one of the last before…”
“The accident,” I finished for him.
“Yeah.”
Silence drew out as we picked our way through our tumbling thoughts.
Reed broke the pause by slapping the jetty boards beneath us. “Ready for the next stop?”
A shiver ran across my shoulders when the chilly breeze picked up. “Yep. The sun is warm, but the wind is freezing my tits off.”
He laughed and carefully pulled me to my feet, then tucked me under his arm as we walked in step toward the parking lot. “God no, please not the tits.”
I playfully hit his stomach, then internally squee’d when my hand met nothing but solid muscle.
An amused snicker came from above my head. “I know you’re impressed, Kase.”
I scoffed and craned my neck skyward. “With?”
My sassy glare was met with Reed’s beautiful fucking grin. “Copping a feel.”
Indignation tucked my chin. “Pa-lease, you wish.”
Another chuckle accompanied his arm jostling me against his side. “You have no idea, babe.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and for a second, I let myself be in the moment. To pretend that this was our normal and everything was perfect in our world.
Reed opened the passenger door for me with a flourish. The large breath and lengthy exhale I released after I’d settled in the seat did nothing to rein in my racing heart. Whether I liked it or not, something about Reed called to me, and my inner bitch was beginning to take more notice than ever.
“So, where next?” I asked, voice tight and forced.
He stabbed the ignition and flashed me a dazzling grin. “The LP.”